First emergency-Pics, please help!

[Backyard Hencam]

My hens are a year and four months old. Our friendly, sweet buff Orpington stood with her head in the corner all day. She's stopped eating and drinking. Her comb and wattles are bright red. She has been a good layer until a month ago, then stopped. She began laying again last week but her eggs look different; bumps with slight reddish tint on the end.
When we turned her upside down, she shows a lot of watery, yellow discharge. There is a piece of something (like cellulose, not like an egg shell) coming out of her vent. See picture to the right of vent. When I gently pulled on it, the inside of her vent began to come out so I gently pushed it back in.
Is this a prolapse? What can I do for her? Should I get antibiotics for her when I go to town tomorrow?
I know it is dark for most of you so hope you can spend a minute to advise me. Many thanks.

 

[Yessur Ebob]

Sorry I don't know what to tell you to do. I would try giving her some antibiotics and put some vitamin and electrolyte mix in her water.

 

[Backyard Hencam]

I'm giving myself a bump here because I won't be sleeping much tonight with things hanging out of my favorite hen. Any ideas on what is making her sick?

 

[MotherJean]

If you'll soak this bird in warm water for about 1/2 hour, you should be able to remove what looks like the membrane of a soft-shell or no-shell egg. There are several reasons for reproductive problems in chickens. Some are transitory, but most tend to be chronic. If you are providing oyster shell in addition to a good layer feed with added calcium, then there is really little else you can do.

 

[heatherindeskies]

that really does look like a soft egg shell stuck in there.
other than the bath, don't know how to help. i guess if it were my hen, i might lube up and see if i could remove the soft shell. putting some mineral oil in the vent might soften it, if the bath doesn't work. i'm lucky, i have small fingers so it's easier on the birds to be examined.

 

[Backyard Hencam]

It sound like the three of you who responded think it is a broken egg inside of here.

I'll try the warm bath and lubricant tomorrow after I get home from town. I do hope she makes it. She such a lovely hen. If here are any other suggestions or if I find more in my "examination" I'll post again. I'd put in a "smiley" but I'm too sad.

 

[Dora'smom]

I think the warm bath idea is a good one, and if you are concerned that your finger is too big for comfort, try your pinkie. Some folks use KY jelly, but I've used slightly warmed olive oil, even having my husband hold my girl with her rear tipped up so that I can gently drop or squirt a bit of the oil in her vent---I use a syringe with no needle attached. Her vent actually puckered repeatedly as if it was swallowing, which is a little unnerving, but she tolerated it without any fuss. If you leave her sit with the oil inside for a bit, you might be able to gently remove the softened membranes. Good luck with her!

 

[chkn]

You know, if she's still laying that seems like a good sign. Our chickens give eggs sometimes with bumps, it's not unusual. One hen recently had the egg discoloration at the tip and it was very weak shelled there, they'd often break. I started giving oyster shell in the feed and now I think the eggs are coming out better.

The good news is she's laying and that this soft shelled thing is almost out. That means you can probably go in and help clear some of it out. If its peritonitis, which I don't think it is because she is laying, she'd be swelled shut inside and you'd never get a finger up there.

When I cleared up an eggbound hen, I let her soak in the kitchen sink, I played 'Josh Groben' music. I felt the egg up there but it seemed to hurt her alot, although I did move it a little. I used KY jelly. I had smashed up a half an aspirin and a calcium pill, mixed it with water, and was dribbling this on her beak the whole time and she was drinking. I think she started to feel a lot better after awhile but no egg.

Afterward, I put her in a small crate in the bathroom with a small space heater nearby. It may have been a little cooler time of year but hens can get chilled when wet. Anyway, put her in a nice dim place with the heat and a towel underneath her, and probably half hour or 45 minutes later out plops the egg.

In the end I think the aspirin, calcium, heat all were the key. For you, you have what looks like a soft shell, you can probably do something similar but get lots of KY jelly in there so the stuff will better be able to come out. Gently pull out what you can. Lubricate and loosen things up.

 

[Backyard Hencam]

Thank you all who responded while was sleeping (not very well, by the way). I'm going to try your suggestions this afternoon and will report back. Hope she makes it while I run to town. She is not eating or drinking which has me very concerned. I'll try to get some water into her before I leave. I am trying to brace myself but I will be broken hearted if I loose this sweet girl.

 

[thefamilyflock]

This same thing happened to one of our girls. She is a 20 weeker that has only been laying for a week. She did not lay for a few days and seemed to be straining. On Sat. we found the same thing a bit of soft membrane with some small bits of shell. We soaked her then lubed her up and were able to remove a good bit of it. She was very tired from all the work she was trying to do to push it out and some of the other girls were pecking at her vent so we isolated her over night. She got a bath yesterday and seems to be fine. We have put oyster shell out for them and hopefully we will not have this problem again. I hope all works out for you